Novice checking his email, Vientiane, Laos

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Veiled in the blue exhaust fumes of a chaos of motorbikes, the Buddhist temples spaced along the Mekong River boulevard in Vientiane are havens of peace and quiet. Buddha’s in various shapes and sizes, stone, wood, or gold, simple or refined, gaze in silence. From time to time an orange-clad monk idles out of a corner, only to dissolve again in the splendor of the temple. Contemplating the scene for a while, questions arise. What do these people actually do all day? Who are they? What moved them to become monks? The pictures bears witness to the day to day life of the Buddhist temple (Wat Sok Pa Luang) in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

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Size: 5247px × 3328px
Location: Vientiane, Laos
Photo credit: © ilse schrama / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: asia, buddhis, buddhism, buddhist, budhist, checking, communication, computer, east, education, email, horizontal, internet, laos, laymen, life, modern, monastry, monk, novice, orange, religion, shop, south, temple, time, travel, vientiane